The site of a proposed new open space residential development in Yarmouth. Courtesy / Sebago Technics
YARMOUTH — A residential development project being proposed off Pleasant Street would preserve nearly 6 acres of open space while allowing for the construction of nine new single-family homes.
The Planning Board was scheduled to hold a final vote on the project, which is unofficially referred to in board materials as the Boston Post Road development, at its meeting Wednesday, Sept. 11, after the Forecaster’s print deadline. It’s unclear when the project might break ground if it receives final approval this week.
The board got its first look at the project at its May 22 meeting and has been reviewing the periodically this summer. The development would include an onsite 1900s-era farmhouse and attached barn, which is being restored, along with several outbuildings and a historic marker that identifies the old Boston Post Road.
In a memo provided to the Planning Board prior to the meeting, Code Enforcement Officer Nicholas Ciarimboli said the development is being considered under the town’s Open Space Residential Development Ordinance, which is specifically designed to “encourage an efficient use of land that allows for development, (but) also reduces land consumption while preserving the (town’s) rural character.”
In his application, developer Brad Moll, operating under the name Yarmouth Development Company, LLC, said with smaller lot sizes of less than an acre he could preserve a significant amount of open space, which includes a mixture of pasture and woodland with onsite footpaths and wetland.
In all, the parcel is nearly 11 acres in size, with some frontage along Pleasant Hill Road and the rear of the property, which abuts Interstate 295. Although the applicable ordinance allows a density bonus for developers, Ciarimboli said Moll is not requesting a bonus for this subdivision.
Under the development proposal, Lone Pine Lane would be extended to intersect with Pleasant Street and become the main subdivision road, Ciarimboli said in his memo. In addition, the 6-acre open space would be deeded over to the town once the subdivision is fully built out and Moll would give the town $35,000 to help with maintenance and infrastructure improvements, including new trails.
The project would also include a new sidewalk along Lone Pine Lane and the addition of four public parking spaces to provide access to the conserved open space. The Yarmouth Water District is also requesting an easement through the development to access public water lines.
During an Aug. 14 meeting on the project, abutters shared a number of concerns with the Planning Board, including tree removal and street lighting, that could impact neighboring homes. Several residents were unsettled over increased traffic and construction vehicles using narrow residential streets in the area to access the development site.
In addition, a couple of residents, including Paul Stuart of Evergreen Drive, shared worries about increased stormwater runoff and what would happen if the catch basins do not capture all the water and he sees flooding on his property.
In response to some of the concerns shared last month, the Planning Board imposed several conditions on the project, including requiring construction vehicles to only use Pleasant Street to get into the development. In addition, board member Andrew Bertocci recommended posting signs prohibiting heavy loads on other area streets.
The board also tasked Planning Director Alex Jaegerman with researching the possibility of making Smith Street a one-way road. The board also asked Moll to come back with a landscape plan that clearly indicates which trees will remain and which are being cut down, along with specifying the location and type of street trees that will be planted.
The board also requested a “well-defined plan for the (preservation) of the historic marker.”
The board also said that Moll would be responsible for mowing the meadow area annually until the open space is officially conveyed to the town and said he must build a 4-foot wide boardwalk across the wetland to connect the meadow trail to the onsite woodland trail.
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